Proposal would divide the town into districts with roughly equal populations, similar to the U.S. Congress

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Kristi Greco, pictured at last week's board meeting, offered to talk to all interested people about the ward system proposal. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)

By Frances Ruth Harris

CHESTER — The town of Chester is considering changing to a ward election system.

At last week's board meeting, Supervisor Alex Jamieson said he met with members of the community the night before about the proposal. The next town board meeting on April 25 will continue discussion about the ward system.

The ward system is a form of representative government that mirrors the way Congressional representatives are chosen: the area being governed is broken up into districts, with each having roughly the same population. Each district elects a single representative.

Susan Bahren, Commissioner of the Orange County Board of Elections, said "it would balance representation equally throughout the town. The wards are broken down by population through census data, not by registered voters."

She emailed an explanation of the procedure, starting with a petition, that would bring about this change:

"In accordance with NYS Town Law, as I understand it, allows for the registered voters of the Town of Chester (or any Town for that matter) to submit a petition to the Town Board to hold a Special Election to change the election of Council members from at-large to Wards. Residents have the right to circulate a petition collecting signatures from 5 percent of the voters who voted in the last Gubernatorial Election. The Board of Elections has already calculated that figure to be 178. The Town Board would receive the petition and wtihin 60 days after receiving it (and verifying the petition) they would hold a special election. The election cannot be held in 2018 during the General Election, as NYSTown Law indicates that it must be held in a biennial election year (the year that local government runs) and that is not this year. However Town Law does not address that it can't be done as a special election in a year such as 2018. The Ward System would be a system of Electing Council people to represent outlined wards in the Town. It would balance representation equally throughout the Town. The Wards are broken down by population through census data, not by registered voters."

The special election cannot be held in 2018 during the general election, Bahren said. According to NYS town law, she said, it must be held in a biennial election year — the year that local government runs — and that is not this year.

"However, town law does not address that it can't be done as a special election in a year such as 2018," Bahren wrote.

The Department of State Office of the General Council The State of New York states on its web page that, "unlike cities in New York, which show a mix of both at-large and ward-elected councilmen, only a handful of towns elect councilmen by ward. At last count, fifteen towns in New York use the ward system."

If the voters approve the proposition, the county board of elections must divide the town into four wards and fix their boundaries.